The Indian Navy has announced two major initiatives to enhance defence cooperation with friendly nations in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). As part of its ongoing military outreach, the Navy will conduct a maritime exercise, “AIKEYME” (Africa-India Key Maritime Engagement), with ten African nations next month. Additionally, it will launch “Indian Ocean Ship (IOS) Sagar,” a new initiative featuring a combined crew of Indian sailors and 44 personnel from nine partner countries aboard INS Sunayna during its deployment from April 5 to May 8.
Vice Admiral Tarun Sobti, Deputy Chief of Naval Staff, highlighted that these initiatives align with the “MAHASAGAR” (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions) vision announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Mauritius in March. He emphasized that AIKEYME and IOS Sagar, both first-of-their-kind endeavours, reinforce India’s role as a preferred security partner and first responder in the IOR.
“Over the past 10 years, the Indian Navy has deepened its partnerships with navies and agencies of IOR countries to enhance maritime security in consonance with the India’s vision of `Sagar’ (security and growth for all in the region),” the Deputy Chief added.
AIKEYME, co-hosted by the Indian Navy and the Tanzania People’s Defence Force, will take place off Dar-es-Salaam in mid-April (13-18 April) and will be inaugurated by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The exercise aims to deepen maritime security cooperation between India and Africa, particularly in countering piracy, illegal trafficking, and unregulated fishing through enhanced information sharing and surveillance.
“A large-scale multilateral maritime engagement exercise with African countries, titled ‘Africa India Key Maritime Engagement’ or ‘AIKEYME’, which means unity in Sanskrit, is an initiative to enhance interoperability with African navies,” Vice Admiral Sobti told reporters on Monday in New Delhi.
The six-day exercise will include participation from Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, South Africa, and Tanzania. The harbour phase will feature tabletop and command-post exercises on piracy and information sharing, along with seamanship training. The sea phase will include search and rescue operations, visit-board search-and-seizure drills, small-arms firing, and helicopter operations. Besides, a defence exhibition has also been planned to showcase Indian products to African nations and promote exports.
Under the IOS Sagar initiative, INS Sunayna will undertake a deployment to the southwest IOR with a multinational crew from Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, and South Africa. The ship will make port calls at Dar-es-Salaam, Nacala, Port Louis, Port Victoria, and Malé while also conducting joint surveillance of the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) of Tanzania, Mozambique, Mauritius, and Seychelles.
Personnel from partner nations will undergo a two-week training program at various naval professional schools in Kochi, including sea-based training. These initiatives further strengthen India’s maritime partnerships and commitment to regional security, reinforcing its strategic presence in the IOR.
Ravi Shankar
